Veteran Vitality

[starsnrunes]

Tell me what you know about it?

Specifically "IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: To get the best results from Veteran Vitality, please make sure that you do not feed any other products that contain barley or molasses. Many traditional feeds contain barley & molasses which can cause excitability in some horses. Even horses that do not become fizzy as a result of these ingredients can benefit from a low starch and sugar feed such as Veteran Vitality*."


(I'm looking at starting my older horse on it this winter)

 

[Annie B.]

My warmblood mare will of been on veteran vitality 2 years next February. I put her on it as it was the first winter she wasn't holding her weight. I have found that she finds it highly palatable and eats with great gusto, I also give her a large skip of chaff either dampened with water or a small amount of fibre beet and fibre beet juice with thinly sliced carrots and a net of haylage. When it is very cold if she would like a lunch I soak some spillers hi fi nuts. She has had a few teeth out over the last 4 years but looks very well and hacked 5 days a week she doesn't want to retire yet and gets grumpy if not taken out and kept involved. My mare will be 26 in the new year and doing well.

 

[Morgan123]

I like veteran vitality, and I do feed it with sugar beet with no problems. I think they mean, don't feed it with molasses if you mind your horse being excitable. I've heard from many people that it's one of the only veteran feeds that is actually worth buying (most of them are just mixes with a bit of added glucosamine whihc costs more but makes no difference to your horse at that level). VV seems very digestible; my mare easily gets diarrhoea but is great on VV.

I was in a long discussion with Allen&Page nutritionist about it and they are fairly adamant that, as a complete feed, you really really don't need to feed anything else with it at all. However, I need to be able to vary her fibre/protein levels and my combo of sugar beet/vet vitality/linseed works very well - I add conditioning cubes in there when needed. I analysed her feed using ****** and it was coming up as deficient in a few things, even though i was feeding way over the recommended amount of VV as well as all the other stuff! So yes it's really useful, but do what you think is right for your horse.

 

[Auslander]

I feed it, and really rate it. My lot look fab on it, and it doesn't break the bank. I feed it on its own-no chaff

 

[spotty_pony]

Quite a few of the older ponies at work have it. It is easy to make and soaks in 3 minutes (1 scoop of feed: 2 scoops of water) I've fed it on it's own and with chaff before and we usually add a handful of something tasty like mix for the fussy feeders as a couple got bored of it after a while and went off it. Did improve the ponies' condition though and is a good option for those with poor teeth.

 

[Twoleftfeet]

Started my mare on it last winter and have to say she never looked better. Just one scoop per day + hay. Had no problems of her fizzing up. Actually when they were out of vv and had to get fast fibre found that made her more fizzy!

 

[starsnrunes]

Thanks for the replies.

I'd read the warning as a 'it may make them fizzy' but just wanted to double check that there weren't any other implications.

 

[southerncomfort]

I think it's an excellent feed. Two of ours have it during the Winter one of whom is a very poor doer and they are both maintaining their weight very well.

Neither has shown any signs of fizziness while on it.

 

[Fransurrey]

I used to feed it to my shettie who was mid 30s. Also to my Exmoor gelding. Both loved it and looked very well on it. I only stopped because the store never had it in and I'm not organised enough to ring up a week in advance!